ABSTRACT
Drawing from three case studies in Portugal, this chapter explores how design’s features influence positively or negatively intergenerational exchange in urban public parks. Current attention to the potential of parks has identified how these multigenerational open spaces can bring together people of different generations, as well as their ability to bond and bridge social inclusion, sense of belonging and participation within the community. Factors that have influenced selected parks’ design, redevelopment, and patterns of community use, are discussed. The Intergenerational Contact Zone (ICZ) concept is used to highlight and challenge the design’s features in urban public parks regarding their capacity to provide multiple generations with opportunities to meet, interact, and relate to one another without obstruction. Such an analysis of urban public parks as ICZ offers an opportunity to rethink public spaces with an alternative view to that of designing spaces that segregate people by age.
